Explaining AVS-01 to Customers | Rapid Response Monitoring

How to Talk to your Customers About AVS-01

So, your Monitoring Center adopted AVS-01…now what? This new national standard presents a unique opportunity for alarm companies to strengthen customer relationships and build trust. Meanwhile, there is an opportunity to provide additional services and increase revenue. Now is the time to leverage your early-adoption status to gain a competitive advantage.

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Developed by The Monitoring Association, in partnership with Public Safety and Law Enforcement officials, The Alarm Validation Scoring Standard allows for the consistent flow of alarm data to be shared with Public Safety so they can effectively and safely respond to alarm events.

After analyzing alarm data, a priority level is generated which Monitoring Specialists will relay during dispatch or, in the case of ASAP to PSAP, will be transmitted as part of the digital dispatch process. The authorities will use AVS-01 scoring to determine how they will allocate resources in the field and triage responses.

It should also be noted that a big part of AVS-01 is to validate alarm level 0, which means that there is no indication of criminal activity, and therefore no dispatch is required.

 

Gaining A Competitive Advantage 

The Alarm Validation Scoring Standard, completed in Q4 of 2023, has been widely adopted by some of the larger organizations. If your Monitoring Center is among the early adopters to have integrated this new standard, you should feel proud to be leading the wave of innovation.

Being an early adopter of AVS-01 gives your alarm company a competitive advantage. You’re strengthening the protection that’s available to customers and with your local police departments as you start to deliver solid actionable data. Use that as fuel to boost relationships and generate new customers.

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Marketing AVS-01 

Letting customers know that you’ve become an early adopter of AVS-01 is an effective way to gain trust and build loyalty while also attracting new business. Start by announcing that you’ve implemented AVS-01. Distribute this exciting news via email to current and prospective customers.

Don’t be afraid to mention that you are among the few early adopters – it shows that your business is innovative and focused on providing the best possible service to your customers. To keep marketing efforts consistent, release the news on all your social media platforms too. 

Once the news is out, expect to see questions roll in. Customers will be curious about how this new industry standard will affect them. To prepare your business to address AVS-01 concerns, we have established a quick guide for you and your team to review.  

 

How To Get Started 

When you are knee-deep in industry lingo, it can be difficult to understand how to explain concepts like the Alarm Validation Scoring Standard. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm customers with too much information. Here are a few preliminary questions your customers may ask and a few suggestions on how to respond:  

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How Does AVS-01 Work? 

When an alarm comes in, it is automatically assigned a priority level. This information is gathered from your alarm’s data and considers the probability of a threat at the home or business. Our Monitoring Specialists then relay the priority level to the authorities during dispatch. 

What Is A Priority Level? 

All alarms start with a Level 1 which contains no additional information. The priority gets elevated to a Level 2 when there is a high probability of a person on-site. A Level 3 alarm has either a confirmed visual, audible, eyewitness account of an intruder, or additional alarm data which confirms there is an active threat to property beyond what a traditional security system can provide. The highest priority is a Level 4 alarm assigned when there is a confirmed visual, audible, eyewitness, or data point that confirms a threat to life.

A table outlining five alarm levels with corresponding descriptions. Level 4 is a confirmed threat to life (red), Level 3 is a confirmed threat to property (orange), Level 2 indicates a high probability of threat (yellow), Level 1 is the default category with little information (blue), and Level 0 requires no call for service (green).

Are There Benefits To AVS-01? 

The Alarm Validation Scoring Standard priority levels provide authorities with a greater understanding of what is occurring at the home or business. With this implementation, you can expect a more accurate and efficient response from the authorities.  

 

Alleviating Concerns Around Change 

This change may inevitably invite concerns about how AVS-01 will affect a customer’s service. It’s up to alarm Dealers to reassure customers that although this new standard is being implemented, service will only improve. Here are a few questions your customers may ask, and some talking points to address their concerns:

Will AVS-01 Improve Dispatch Response Times? 

Priority scores are an efficient way for Monitoring Specialists to communicate how likely it is that a break in is in progress. Authorities will be able to more quickly assess the situation and respond accordingly, thus potentially improving how fast they can respond.  

Will The Authorities Stop Responding To Alarms With Low Priority Levels? 

We will never indicate that the situation is a false alarm unless given explicit feedback from a verified customer that the alarm is false, and the authorities are not needed. We always treat every alarm like it’s an emergency unless explicitly told that the alarm is false.

If, for any reason, you are concerned that the authorities may not respond but want them to, please tell our Monitoring Specialists that you are requesting dispatch.  

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Can I Still Request Dispatch? 

If you want the authorities to assess the situation, please tell our Monitoring Specialists. You have every right to request dispatch from the authorities and priority levels do not infringe on that. 

What Do I Need To Do To Get AVS-01 For My Account(s)? 

For the past few months, we have been working hard to ensure our customers experience a seamless transition as we implement the Alarm Validation Scoring Standard. Our Monitoring Specialists have been thoroughly trained and have already integrated this new industry standard, additionally our monitoring software has been updated to automatically score the event and to transmit that when necessary. There is nothing additional that you need to do.

 

Building Customer Loyalty & Trust 

The implementation of the Alarm Validation Scoring Standard presents a unique opportunity for alarm Dealers and professionals to connect deeper with their customers. 

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Through education and open dialogue, AVS-01 can be leveraged to gain trust, build loyalty, and grow your customer base all while improving police response and relationships.

We hope this quick guide will enable you with the tools you need to educate customers on AVS-01 while alleviating any concerns they may have around this change.  

 

Even More Resources 

For current Rapid Response Dealers, we have designed a Toolkit equipped with marketing materials that you can use to further connect with your customers. To gain access to our Dealer Marketing Toolkit, please contact our Sales team.   

To learn more about AVS-01, please visit: 

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